F eature Story

Meet My Baker

Sweet 16th – The Bakery

LT: Dan and Ellen, Sweet 16 is a true neighborhood bakery. Is it what
you had envisioned when you both decided to open your own bakery?

Dan: Sweet 16th is at its core what we had envisioned when we opened
in 2004. The neighborhood was very different then. The diversity was
even greater than it is now. There were not that many options when it
came to retail, restaurants, bars and clubs. What we set out to do was
to make a living, as well as to provide the community with a gathering
place to meet their fellow East-siders. Ellen always said that it was
not her goal to become a “Mrs. Fields.” Rather, she—and I—wanted to
pay our bills, have the ability to travel and to be able to pay our
employees.

LT: Your shop doesn’t feel like other places in the area. Maybe it’s
the size, but it’s very warm and inviting and seems to be always
filled with people you know. I’ve seen little boys bring Ellen flowers
and sweet kisses. How does it make you feel when you are such a
beloved spot in the neighborhood?

Dan: It makes us feel very fortunate to be a part of our neighbors’
lives. We are able to be a part of their life cycle events…see them
dating, getting married, having kids. We have tragically lost some
very special people, too. That is real life when you engage with
people. It’s great that we are a safe place where kids can come down
on their own and hang out with other kids. It’s also fun to connect
people, which we do actively—Ellen has great radar—who should know
each other but don’t. And, oh, by the way, we’re serving fresh baked
goods every day.